On February 4, 2021 at approximately 5:43 pm, the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch received a call from a search and recovery team advising they had located a vehicle in Lake Tawakoni near the causeway on FM 751.
Hunt County Sheriff Terry Jones responded with patrol units and the Criminal Investigation Division to learn the search and recovery team were on the lake using sonar equipment when they discovered a vehicle in the lake.
The search and recovery team, who were there with family members, advised investigators that the vehicle they had located was similar to a vehicle involved in a Hunt County missing person case, which the search and recovery team was familiar with.
FM 751 was closed for a period of time as the vehicle was recovered from the water. Once the vehicle was recovered, it was confirmed the vehicle matched the description of a Hunt County missing person case.
Investigators believe that the vehicle recovered from Lake Tawakoni is the vehicle belonging to Carey Mae Parker, who has been missing since in 1991.
The discovery of the vehicle was brought about by Adventures with Purpose, a search and recovery team based out of Bend, Oregon. Adventures with Purpose specialty is an underwater vehicle search and recovery, but at times, they find lost loved ones underwater and bring them home to their families providing the answers they’ve been seeking.
Many of their adventures can be seen on their YouTube channel, where they have close to a million subscribers. Adventures with Purpose services are made possible by sponsors and donations that can be made by PayPal or Venmo via their YouTube channel.
Adventures with Purpose not only located the vehicle, but also assisted the sheriff’s office with a diver to help recover the vehicle.
Investigators will be processing the vehicle to determine what evidence may be recovered from the vehicle.
Sheriff Terry Jones stated “I would like to thank the family of Carey Mae Parker for having the persistence and drive to keep pushing forward to find answers in the disappearance of their family member. It was a privilege for the sheriff’s office to be able to work with the family and Adventures with Purpose to come one step closer to bringing closure to this case, which has been needed for many years.”
